Car bench

ABSTRACT

A CAR BENCH FOR STRAIGHTENING INDENTATIONS IN CAR BODIES AND SUBSTANTIALLY COMPRISING A ROBUST FRAME FORMED OF A PAIR OF LONGITUDINAL BEAMS AND A PAIR OF ADJUSTABLE TRANSVERSE BEAMS EACH PROVIDED WITH MEANS FOR CLAMPING THE SUSPENSION MEMBERS AND MECHANICAL MEMBERS NOT ELASTICALLY PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO THE CAR BODY. AN AUXILLARY FIXTURE COMPOSED OF AT LEAST ONE VERTICAL BEAM CARRYING AT LEAST ONE THRUST MEMBER MAY BE ASSOCIATED WITH THE FRAME TO EXERT PULLING AND PUSHING STRESS TO THE CAR BODY, THE FRAME ITSELF SERVING AS ABUTMENT FOR THE THRUST MEMBER AND THE PUSHING OR PULLING STRESS EXERTED THEREBY.

1971 A. LUNARDINI 3,

CAR BENCH Filed May 27, 1968 I3 Shoots-Sheet l W 3 3- Fig.7

A. LUNARDINI Dec. 7, 1971 CAR BENCH 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 27, 1968 United States Patent 3,625,047 CAR BENCH Alipio Lunardini, Via dellAcqua 2, Massa Carrara, Italy Filed May 27, 1968, Ser. No. 732,225 Int. Cl. BZlj 13/08 U.S. Cl. 72-459 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A car bench for straightening indentations in car bodies and substantially comprising a robust frame formed of a pair of longitudinal beams and a pair of adjustable transverse beams each provided with means for clamping the suspension members and mechanical members not elastically pivotally connected to the car body. An auxiliary fixture composed of at least one vertical beam carrying at least one thrust member may be associated with the frame to exert pulling and pushing stress to the car body, the frame itself serving as abutment for the thrust member and the pushing or pulling stress exerted thereby.

This invention relates to a car bench designed mainly for straightening indentations caused by accidents in car bodies, but may also be used for other repair work and checking operations to be carried out on the bodies of motor-cars.

It is an object of the present invention to facilitate and expedite such operations by providing a car bench which, by way of difference from the conventional benches of this type, does not require the dismantling of the suspensions and driving members of the motor vehicle to be repaired.

This object is achieved according to the invention by providing a car bench which comprises a robust frame formed of a pair of longitudinal beams and a pair of adjustable transverse beams each provided with means for clamping the suspension members and mechanical members not elastically pivotally connected to the car body.

One of the transverse beams preferably carries a supporting plate provided with holes aligned with the axes of anchoring bolts of the front auxiliary frame of the car to permit the use of these bolts for securing said plate to the auxiliary frame.

The other adjustable transverse beam serving for anchoring the rear part of the car body is conveniently provided with appropriate bolts cooperating with forks for axial connection of the articulated joints of the rear axle.

A-n auxiliary fixture may be associated with the frame of the car bench and comprise at least one vertical beam carrying at least one thrust member having at least two surfaces adapted to resist to oppositely directed forces and engaging the frame of the car bench to transmit the pulling and pushing forces produced by the thrust member directly to said frame.

The beam of the auxiliary fixture is advantageously formed of a robust tubular section angle iron having a transversely extending base portion engaging with its end in the channel section of one of the longitudinal beams of the frame to resist to the pulling forces exerted by said thrust member, the transversely extending base portion being further provided with a hook engaging the upper flange of the other longitudinal beam to resist against the pushing forces exerted by the thrust member.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described by Way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a first embodiment of the car bench according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view thereof;

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FIGS. 3 and 4 are sections on an enlarged scale, taken along the lines I-I and IIII in FIG. 1, respectively;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged section taken on the line III-III of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged top plan view of an auxiliary fixture associated with the car bench shown in FIG. 1 and useful for straightening indentations in a body of a car, and

FIG. 7 is an elevational sectional view taken along the line IV-IV of FIG. 6'.

Referring to the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, a work bench is generally indicated by 1 and comprises a pair of longitudinal beams 2 connected by transverse beams 3 so as to form a robust frame for supporting a motor-car to be repaired or checked with respect to its centering or alignment of the wheel axles relative to the body.

Two adjustable transverse members 4 and 5 are arranged on the longitudinal beams 2 and serve to retain the front and rear portions of the body of the car, the members 4 and 5 being shiftable along the longitudinal beams and being adapted to be secured in various positions, for example by means of through bolts, to conform to the various dimensions of different types of bodies.

The adjustable transverse members 4 and 5 are provided with means engaging the suspension members and other mechanical members of the car that are not elastically connected to the body, so as to permit an efiicient securing of the body without having to dismantle the suspension and other mechanical members.

The suspension members and not elastically connected mechanical members are intended to comprise those members which are capable of exerting a resistance 'to the stresses exerted on the body for its straightening. These members vary in dependence upon the various types of cars to be repaired and, as far as the front part of the car is concerned, they are generally formed by the auxiliary frame supporting the suspension elements and, at the rear portion of the car, they are formed by the longitudinal supporting arms of the suspension if the latter is of the type having helical springs, or by the pivotal connection means, if the suspension is of the type having leaf springs.

In the illustrated example the work bench is designed for holding a motor-car having a rear suspension provided with longitudinal supporting arms, or having leaf springs provided with conventional type of rear suspension.

The forward transverse adjusting member 4 is provided with a cradle-shaped supporting plate 6 provided at its ends with four holes 7 aligned with the axis of the bolts existing on the car and serving to anchor the front suspension to the auxiliary frame.

The front part of the car is secured to the plate 6 by said bolts.

The rear adjustable transverse member 5 is provided at its end with forks 8.

The forks 8 co-operate with connecting means formed by a pair of threaded counter bolts 11.

Each bolt 11 screws into a threaded seat 12 provided on each side of the fork and carries a hexagonal head 13 for applying a screw wrench, and a hollow cylindrical seat 14.

The forks 8 and associated bolts 11 can be used so as to engage the pivot pins of the shackles of the leaf springs in cars provided with the conventional type of rear suspension. The hollow cylindrical seat 14 is larger than the diameter of the circle circumscribing the hexagon of the screw 15 to permit the free rotation of the bolt 11 and its clamping on a bracket 16 of the spring shackle through which the shaft 9 passes.

Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 7, there is shown an auxiliary fixture for the car bench shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, useful for straightening indentations in the body of a car and formed substantially of a vertical beam generally indicated by 17 and shiftably attached to the longitudinal beams 2 of the car bench. The vertical beam 17 consists of a robust tubular section angle bar having a vertical portion 18 and a transverse base portion 19. A section base iron 20 is arranged at the angle between the vertical and transverse portions and serves as a foot portion.

The vertical portion 18 is provided with a collar 21 which can be vertically adjusted and secured in the desired position and carries a thrust member 22 adapted to act upon a body 23 of the car to be repaired with a pulling or pushing stress so as to produce the desired straightening of the car body.

The stress exerted by the thrust member 22 is transmitted to the transverse base portion 19 which is suitably formed to transfer the stress directly to the longitudinal beams 2 of the frame of the car bench which thus does not require any connecting means to resist against the stress exerted by the thrust member 22.

For this purpose the transverse base portion 19 of the beam 17 is approximately bent in such a manner that its end 24 can engage in the channel section of one of the longitudinal beams 2 of the frame of the car bench to resist against the tractional forces produced by the thrust member 22 and tending to push the end 24 of the base portion 19 of the beam 17 against the adjacent face of the longitudinal beam 2.

The transverse base portion 19 of the beam 17 is further provided with a hook 25 on its underside for engagement with the upper flange of the other longitudinal beam 2 to resist against the pushing or compression forces exerted by the thrust member 22 and tending to separate the end 24 from the associated longitudinal beam of the frame and to produce the shifting of the beam 17 to the right as shown in FIG. 7.

The front face of the end 24 of the transverse base portion 19 of the beam 17 and the end face of the hook 25 facing the adjacent longitudinal beam 2 are conveniently arranged at a distance from each other which is slightly less than the maximum distance between the longitudinal beams 2 of the frame of the car bench to permit the insertion of the end 24 in the channel section of its associated longitudinal beam 2.

Obviously a plurality of beams 17 as described could be associated with the car bench to permit the simultaneous use of several thrust members 22 spaced longitudinally of the car body 23 to be straightened and each beam 17 may carry more than one thrust member 22 in accordance with various working requirements.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the scope or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

1 claim:

1. A car bench for straightening indentations in car bodies, comprising a robust frame formed of a pair of longitudinal beams and a pair of transverse beams adjustable lengthwise along the longitudinal beams and that extend under a car and crosswise thereof, each of the transverse beams having structure that extends upward therefrom into positions for engaging mechanical mem bers which are part of the car, and which are rigidly connected with the car body, and said structure of the transverse beams being shaped to engage said mechanical members without removing the axles or wheels of the car, the said structure being provided with means for clamping said mechanical members rigidly to said structure for preventing movement of the car body with respect to the bench, and the adjustable transverse beams serving for anchoring the rear part of the car body including bolts carried by the upstanding structure for cooperating with the part of the car that is to be clamped to said structure that extends upward from the transverse beam, wherein said bolts each have a head for the application of a screw wrench and at the opposite end a cylindrical hollow seat for receiving a screw projecting from the member to be clamped, the diameter of said seat being larger than the diameter of a circle circumscribing the head of said projecting screw to permit the rotation of said bolt.

2. A car bench for straightening indentations in car bodies, comprising a robust frame formed of a pair of longitudinal beams and a pair of transverse beams adjustable lengthwise along the longitudinal beams and that extend under a car and crosswise thereof, parts of each of the transverse beams being structure that extends upward therefrom into positions for engaging mechanical members which are part of the car, and which are rigidly connected with the car body, and said structure of the transverse beams having clamping faces shaped to engage said mechanical members without removing the axles or wheels of the car, the said structure being provided with means for clamping said mechanical members rigidly to said structure for preventing movement of the car body with respect to the bench, one of the adjustable transverse beams serving for anchoring the rear part of the car body including bolts carried by the upstanding structure for engaging and cooperating with the part of the car that is to be clamped to said upstanding structure of the transverse beam, and wherein said bolts have a head for the application of a rotating force and at the opposite end a face shaped to engage the member to be clamped and to permit rotation of said bolts, wherein an auxiliary fixture is associated with the frame of the car bench and comprises at least one vertical beam provided with a base portion extending transversely thereof and serving as a thrust member, said thrust member having at least two surfaces adapted to resist to oppositely directed forces and engaging the frame of the car bench to transmit the pushing and pulling stress produced by the thrust member directly to said frame.

3. A car bench as claimed in claim 2, wherein said beam is formed of a robust tubular section angle iron having a transversely extending base portion with one end engaging in a channel section of one of the longitudinal beams of the frame to resist the pulling forces exerted by said thrust member of the base portion extending beyond the other of the longitudinal beams of the frame as a cantilever and said auxiliary fixture then extending upward at the end of the cantilever portion outside of the body of a car located on a bench.

4. A car bench as claimed in claim 2, wherein said two surfaces adapted to resist oppositely directed forces are formed by a free end of the thrust member that abuts against one of the long beams, and a hook on the thrust member in position to engage the other of the longitudinal beams, the hook being adapted to engage an upper flange of said other longitudinal beam of the frame to resist against the pushing force exerted by said thrust member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,151,063 3/1939 Weaver 72705 2,442,425 6/ 1948 Merrill et al 72705 2,512,228 6/ 1950 Fontaine 72705 2,563,527 8/1951 Gingrich et al 72705 2,717,020 9/1955 Dobias 72705 2,830,789 4/ 1958 MacMillian 72705 RICHARD J. HERBST, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 72-705 

